Sweet Dreams
by Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint
Summary: How far would you go to save someone you cared for? Would you be strong enough to fight their nightmares? Thank you MysteryGirl7Freak for co authoring and PrismRain13 for permission to write this.
1. The Sleeping Archer

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney or Square Enix please support their official releases. The character Kyra is owned by the author MysteryGirl7Freak and the Reconnected Storyline and its characters such as West and Lydia belong to Prismrain13, please read both their works.**

 **I am co-authoring this story with my friend MysteryGirl7Freak. She is really an amazing author and I feel honoured to be working with her on this. Her ideas and help gave this fic life. This story will be written by the both of us. I write one chapter, she writes another chapter. Updating won't be timed, it will happen when it happens, but I have faith that things will go well.**

 **I also want to make a shout out to Prismrain13 for giving her permission to write this. If your reading then you're the best and thank you I hope you're doing okay.**

 **This is a sequel to my one shot 'The Dragon and The Fox/The Warthog and The Turtle'**

 **(Read previous one shots for Dragon's and Kyra's description)**

"I don't paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality."

― Frida Kahlo

Chapter 1 – The Sleeping Archer

Dragon let out a lazy yawn. It had been one hour since he and Kyra had departed from Twilight Town after that disastrous play. He shivered, thinking how what else could have gone wrong.

Yet, he couldn't find it in himself to give the play any contempt. For the most part, he had a fun time dressing up as Sora Llyr; getting together with his friends and, surprisingly, rivals for a fun time.

He looked toward his shoulder. Kyra slept soundly next to him, the steady rise and fall of her breathing rhythmic. Another positive was that he got to see the young archer as a princess, which was, well, cute.

He laughed internally. Cute and Kyra. They seemed to be words that would have given him a punch to the arm. Kyra was an attractive young lady only a fool with a death wish would call ugly. Same could be said with calling her cute.

However, seeing her in that dress...just the memory of it would trigger goose bumps along his skin. Heat burning the tops of his ears.

He doubted he would ever see her in that sort of garb again. She was a hardened warrior, not a fancy princess.

Inside, he was glad about it. He liked the Kyra who was sleeping on his shoulder, the one that could judo flip anyone that got on her nerves. The Princess Kyra was nice while it lasted, but he preferred the real one next to him. Kyra was no Martha.

A beep went off on the gummi pod's monitor. Dragon smiled as the Falcon came up on the pod's navigation system. Only fifteen minutes left and they would be reunited with their friends. It had been a strange couple of hours. Long hours. One moment he was reunited with his lost teacher and the next he was in a play back at his home town. Crazy how it wasn't the whole night. He guess traveling through worlds was like traveling to different time zones.

Was it normal for adventures to be like this? Or was someone in their living room typing on his mum's computer, then having another person proofreading it in another country, dictating his life?

Dragon just shook his head. After seeing the strangeness of Disney Town and Stitch's world, he would have thought he gotten use to these series of events. Kyra, Roxas, and so many others had done so.

He cracked his knuckles, then did the same to some of his other body joints. He was looking forward to a good night sleep on the Falcon. Not even Myde's constant snoring could keep him awake.

Now would be a good time as any to wake Kyra up. She may be a bit sleepy, but he rather face the wrath of a tired Kyra than that of a Kyra who knew he carried her to her bed. She may like him more than Myde, but he rather not take any chances.

The samurai placed a hand on the archer's shoulder. "Kyra? Come on, it's time to get up," He ordered gently with a little shaking.

The archer's response was remaining asleep.

"Come on, Kyra. You don't need to worry about the others. They will be sleeping like logs," He said cheerfully, once again slowly shaking the archer's shoulder.

Once again the archer remain in sleep mode.

Dragon sighed. He knew he would be getting a punch to the arm but this girl had to wake up.

He spun in his seat to face the young archer as he put both hands on her shoulders and began to shake harder. "Come on, Kyra. Here I thought Myde was a heavy sleeper…"

Kyra's head tilted sideways, resting against her own shoulder.

"Kyra?" He asked gently, looking at her sleeping form in slight concern.

Nothing.

"Kyra," he said, more sternly.

She may as well have been a breathing statue.

"Kyra? Kyra, please, wake up." Dragon didn't know what was happening. Maybe he was just overestimating the problem or maybe…

His mind went back to the play, stage up in flames and a scream that came from the other exit opposite of the one he took.

"Kyra!" Dragon screamed at the young girl. She was one of the most punctual people he knew. A light sleeper. No matter what the consequences, she would have woken up by now, ready for action.

Something wasn't right. Something wasn't right at all. "Ky.." Dragon shook her again but the force caused Kyra's body to lean forward, out of her chair.

Dragon was quick to catch her, breaking her fall. He kneeled on the floor as he held her upper body in his arms, her lower body strewn across the pod's floor.

"KYRA!" Dragon screamed, worried. He swallowed, a lump in his throat. "Kyra, what's happened to you?"

He examined her hands, face, ears. He tried to find any clue as to why she wasn't waking up, something that was clear that it shouldn't be there.

He looked directly at her face. Dragon's brain went from panic mode into overdrive. Why was she being so unresponsive? It didn't make any sense. She was normal an hour ago. Why the sudden change?

It was then he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Something on the floor. It looked like a purplish-dark light.

Dragon furrowed his eyebrows, befuddled. The only thing underneath the floor was wires and they were covered by floor plating. And the light was reflecting off of the floor plating. One possibility could be the floor had cracked or maybe…

Dragon's eyes widened. Quickly, he turned Kyra in his arms and brushed her hair aside. As he did so, he could only stare in shock at her neck and what was there on it.

"What the..." The samurai stammered. Kyra had some sort of heart symbol on the back of her neck. His first conclusion was that it must have been the Heartless, but as he looked closer, he saw this heart symbol lack the Heartless deep black or red out lining. It was a see through image with purple lining along it with a few added curves in its design.

"What is this?" He muttered, pulse quickening.

It didn't take a genius to tell that Kyra was in trouble - big trouble.

Dragon shift his gaze to the Falcon. His first thought was to warn Roxas and the others, but what if that made things worse? For all he knew, Kyra's deep sleep could be some infectious thing and any premature exposure could be costly for the team. A heinous, magical trap being delivered to them.

He didn't know if it was a good idea to keep Kyra's body inside this pod, but he knew he couldn't risk his other friends without properly knowing what's wrong with her. Dragon needed someone who knew about this type of ailments. Someone who could get on the ship directly and off it without relying on a mechanical transportation. Someone with...magic.

As if a light bulb had switched in his head, Dragon knew who to call. He may not have met the man personally, but he remembered Kyra and Lydia telling him about his vast knowledge on pretty much everything. Dragon reached out inside Kyra's coat pocket and took out her phone.

He was on the fifth ring when a puff of white smoke flashed inside the Gummi pod.

"What! What is it? I was enjoying a nice cup of tea before I got this dratted SOS."

Once the smoke cleared, a figure made his appearance known on the pod. He was an old man between his 70's or 80's (Though for all Dragon knew this guy could be way older than he looked). A long, white beard reached past his knees, small spectacles cover his eyes, and he wore a blue robe along with a blue, pointy hat.

Dragon blinked as he looked at the old wizard.

The old wizard was more frustrated than pleased. "Who the devil are you, boy?"

Dragon faltered, trying to get his thoughts into place.

"Well, out with it! I'm a busy…Kyra?" Merlin asked, finally catching sight of the young girl on the floor. His flustered face morphed into a questioning, worried one.

Merlin bent down quickly to examine the young archer. He directed his attention to the back of her neck, her hair parted like a curtain, showcasing the main problem on stage. He looked more closely to the dark heart symbol.

Merlin frowned, rubbing his bearded chin. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," He muttered.

Dragon didn't like that response. "What's the matter with her, Merlin? Has it got something to do with the Heartless?"

"Darkness yes, Heartless no," Merlin replied to the young samurai. "She is trapped in the dream world, my boy." Merlin stated soberly as he stood up.

"W-what?" Dragon stammered, lost.

"That's a mark of the Dream Eaters."

"What the heck are those?" Dragon asked, "What even is the dream world?"

Merlin sighed. It was never easy to explain these sort of things to a newbie. "The dream world is a special universe that exists outside our normal universe."

With a sway of his hands, the ancient wizard caused the whole room to light up by a sky-blue aura. Dropping down from the ceiling were moonlit orbs, falling slowly to the floor as if they were snowflakes.

Dragon peered around at the strange orbs. "What are these things?" Still waiting for a full explanation on the dream eaters and their world.

"You see, young man, the dream world is what one might say is a limbo for worlds that have been lost to the darkness or cannot be accessed by normal means." Merlin examined the orbs carefully, waving his hands around as if shuffling around a bookshelf. Orbs came and flew back as he searched. "In each sleeping worlds lies a keyhole. Once the keyhole is found, that world will be awakened and return to our universe."

"Sounds something for a Keyblade Master," Dragon mused.

"You're not wrong there, boy. The dream universe has been known for the Mark of Mastery tests. It is to get a better idea of the student's mind set. Who they are as a person," Merlin went on.

"Before the war, there used to be special squad of Keybladers who would venture into the dream universe to salvage the lost worlds." Merlin sighed, briefly closing his eyes. "But once the war was over with, those who could wield the keyblade were next to extinct. No one wanted to lose them to the dream universe, so the dream universe could only ever be used for tests."

Dragon frowned, sadness stinging his chest. Just like the lunar rock, another vital asset to the universe was lost due to that war. It had been over for who knew how long and yet his generation and many others were still suffering from its scars.

"Is there no hope for the sleeping worlds?" Dragon asked with some small hope in his voice.

The ancient wizard nodded. "Of course. Every year, Yen Sid makes a few Dream Eater scouts to find a keyhole for him to unlock."

Dragon felt befuddled as he shook his head in confusion. "But I thought you said the Dream Eaters are the reason we're in this mess?"

"Yes and no," Merlin replied. "You see, there are two sets of Dream Eaters. Spirits and Nightmares." Merlin casted a spell to show two Dream Eater symbols. Dragon could see a new peach coloured one with smoother curves than its nightmare counterpart.

"The Nightmares are the Dream Eaters created by Darkness. Their job is to keep the sleeping worlds in limbo. The Spirits do the opposite. Their job is to wake up their sleeping worlds. Spirits are your most vital ally in the dream universe; they will fight alongside you as your team would to get rid of the nightmares and to find the keyhole," Merlin explained with a passion and hardness to his voice.

"Especially since they're medicine to a bad cold," Merlin finished simply. "Now enough chit chat, these orbs will help me find the dream world Kyra is in."

Merlin kept searching through each orb. One showed him worlds were four children were walking toward a lamppost in the snow. Another showed him another world where a man wearing a blue and red costume somehow shot webs like a spider. Merlin saw another world were a boy with a monkey tail hugged tightly to a princess with raven hair.

Finally, he found the right orb. "At last, now we can…wait….this can't be possible." Merlin choked with a cold shock.

Dragon came from the other side to see the orb. Unlike the others, it had a colour of orange hue swirling around and the nightmare symbol on it.

Dragon wasn't an idiot. Judging from Merlin's expression, he could quickly understand this was not good news.

"Merlin, what has happened to Kyra?" Dragon ask carefully.

"This world, the one she is trapped in...it is no sleeping world," Merlin spoke gravely.

"Shouldn't it be?" inquired Dragon "It is in the dream universe."

"Aye, it is, lad. However, unlike the other sleeping worlds, it wasn't put there by the darkness. It could only be there because someone put it directly into the dream universe." Merlin turned to see Kyra's sleeping form. "This world was born from Kyra's mind. Someone has sabotage it. As result, Kyra's consciousness is trapped in that world as well."

Dragon gasped violently. How could this have happened? She had been so well on their last two trips but now her mind was trapped? How could he fix something that untouchable?

"This peculiar world, its main design is destroying the victim's consciousness. If left alone, Kyra would lose everything that makes her Kyra. She will be nothing more than a puppet," Merlin warned.

Dragon hyperventilated, eyes wide in panic. This wasn't happening. Kyra wasn't meant to go out like this. She was meant to find her family, to find her home. She wasn't meant to live like a puppet. That wasn't fair, not after everything she had been through. He won't let this happen.

"Send me in!" Dragon demanded.

"What?!" Merlin exclaimed at the young samurai. Did this boy understand the consequences?

"I said send me in! I won't let her go out like this." Dragon knelt down beside her, looking at her supine form on the floor.

"I rather we had a Keyblade wielder for this," Merlin berated.

"We don't have time!" Dragon screamed at the old man. "You said her mind is being eaten by this nightmare. We can't wait for the Falcon. I need to go in now!"

"And if you fail, this pod will be destroyed with you and her in it," Merlin warned.

"What?" Dragon gasped, feeling his angered ease with a terrible calmness.

Merlin sighed heavily as he closed his eyes and took a seat in the captain's chair. He rubbed his forehead. "This nightmare is an infection. The more people who go in, the chances it could expand its infection to new victims. Yen Sid, along with the rest of the committee, agreed if a nightmare such as this occurred then only one person would go in to fix it. If they failed, both victims would have to be killed to protect the others."

He looked directly at Dragon, a tired glint in his eyes.

"That's why I wanted a Keyblade wielder; their chances would have been stronger than yours," Merlin finished as he stood up.

"So I only have one chance," Dragon concluded bitterly.

Merlin nodded solemnly.

If Dragon failed, both his life and her life would be done and dusted, but if they waited to get to the Falcon for Roxas or Xion it could already be too late.

What to do, what to do. What would Kyra want him to do? In truth, he had no answer as he wasn't her. He was Dragon, a samurai from Twilight Town. This had to be his choice. It scared him, but he couldn't take any risks. Not when this nightmare was in its beginning stages.

"Well, what is your answer?" Merlin inquired.

Dragon took Kyra's hand in his. He felt how dry they were, briefly traced his thumb along the callouses in her skin. He gazed into her face, how peaceful it looked. Devoid of that fierceness and determination it held when they first started this mission. He knew what he had to do.

"I die when I want to die," Dragon answered Merlin.

Merlin took that as a yes. He knelt down and put his hands on top of Kyra's head, whispering some magic words. A golden sphere with black diamonds edged into it appeared with a keyhole in the center.

"Now I must warn you. You are going to meet people you may know or don't know or who you're going to know. The Dream universe has no balance of time, the past and future doesn't exist within it. Just a present," Merlin warned.

Dragon nodded in understanding. Merlin continued. "In order to wake Kyra, you must find the Nightmare and destroy it. Be warned, this Dream world will make sure you can't find her. It will go so far to redesign itself to keep you away. Even if you find her, she might not even recognize you."

"Is that all?" Dragon asked, a little apprehensive. "How will you know if I failed?"

"Your body will jump out in the exact same condition. If that is to happen, you know what I will have to do," Merlin said, grim.

Dragon swallowed. He took a deep breath.

"I do." Dragon, without needing any more info, jumped straight into the orb as a flash of white light engulfed him.

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Real or Not Real

**Disclaimer back on chapter 1, This was chapter was written by my co author Mysterygirlfreak. If your reading this disclaimer just want you know you're the best and thank you so much Kyra is an awesome character.**

 **"In dreams, we enter a world that's entirely our own."**

 **-Albus Dumbledore**

Chapter 2 - Real or Not Real

Before she opened her eyes, Kyra could feel something was off.

The scent of fresh sheets and pinewood woke her up. Groggily, Kyra slowly sat up in her bed, the quilt sliding off her back. She stretched her arms out and rubbed her eye with the heel of her palm, her hair a bit tangled. After a brief look around the room, she promptly let her head fall back to her pillow. A sigh escape her lips.

'More sleep...'

Sunlight peeked through the curtains, shining on her face.

She jolted up, wide awake.

'Sunlight?'

There was no sunlight in space.

Kyra hurried out of bed, almost falling to the floor when her legs got tangled in the sheets. Fully awake, she scanned her surroundings.

She blinked. "Is this...my old room?"

Kyra stared in shock at the lilac painted walls, the lily patterned curtains, the hardwood floor, the charcoal nightstand and desk, the white wardrobe, the bookshelf with only a few books and an assortment of objects in it. All of it. Everything from her bed to the ring on the lamp was just as she left it. The last time she was in here, she was running in to retrieve Rusty from under her mattress before her whole room broke apart. Darkness spilling in like water and drowning them both.

Kyra rushed to the window and looked out, pushing the curtains aside. Outside, lay a meadow filled with tall grass and springtime flowers, a grove of trees stood right beside it while on the left one could make out other houses in the distance. A small band of deer nipped grass near a stream, the birds singing along to the bubbling of moving water. Her hands gripped the curtains hard, turning her skin white. She backed away from the window.

"This...this isn't possible."

A knock on the door startled her. Instinctively, she grabbed the nearest thing and raised it as a weapon.

"Kyra? Are you awake?"

At the sound of the voice, Kyra dropped her fighting stance. "Is that..."

Before the question could finish, the answer opened the door. A woman with dark hair and indigo-blue eyes stood there, dressed in a red blouse and blue pants.

A lump caught in the archer's throat. "Mom?"

Her mother, Gabriella furrowed her eyebrows. "You okay, sweetie? I heard a thud and I thought something fell. Was it the lamp?"

Kyra looked at the lamp in her hands and put it back, her insides roller-coasting with emotions. "No, I...it just..." Kyra ran her fingers through her hair, speechless. It felt as if she forgot how to breathe, how to speak. Her eyes filled with tears.

"You still got that migraine? I got some peppermint tea boiling downstairs. It should be ready soon." Gabriella frowned in concern. "Is everything ok? Are you upset?"

Choking back a sob, Kyra rushed to her mother. She threw her arms around the older woman, almost knocking her off balance.

"It's you," Kyra said, her voice muffled. Her face was buried in her mother's shoulder, holding on tight as if afraid she would disappear. "I missed you so much."

"Miss me? What are talking about?"

That question put a scratch on the moment.

Kyra broke the hug and stepped back, seeing the surprise and confusion on her mother's face.

"Y-you were gone. The whole family. I was separated from you and spent years searching to find you."

Now her mother looked really confused. "Separated?"

"Because of the darkness," Kyra elaborated. How could she not remember? "The one the war brought and destroyed everything."

"Darkness? War?" Gabriella took her daughter's face in her hands and started to examine her.

"What are you doing?" Kyra asked, flinching back after her mother pushed her eyelids back to check her pupils.

"Checking you for a concussion," Gabriella answered. "That thud was you earlier, wasn't it?"

"Wha-no!" Kyra moved away from her touch, backing up into the desk. "I don't have a concussion! How can you act like nothing happened for the past eight years! Our world was wiped out of existence and we each ended up on different worlds and I searched everywhere for you for eight years! How can you act like nothing has ever happened!"

Her mother clasped her hands against her stomach, looking at her with such worry that it made Kyra's stomach sank.

"Kyra," she said calmly, as if she was trying to get close to an injured animal. "There hasn't been a war in over fifteen years."

Now that took the wind out of her. "What?"

"You must of had a really bad dream, or the pixie's bite is still infecting you," she made a face at that last part, "but our world is still here and we've never been worlds apart from each other."

"But that can't be right," Kyra said, more to herself than to her mother. She stared ahead, facing the floor but looking past it. "I lost you and ended up at...at..."

Kyra sat down, the back of the chair bumping into the desk. She rubbed her forehead, grimacing. "My head's killing."

Gabriella nodded. "Definitely the pixie's bite then." She left the room and returned a moment later with a damp washcloth. "Here, hold this to the back of your neck," she said, already placing it on Kyra's neck. Kyra flinched at the sudden contact with something cold. Her mind raced with scattered thoughts and foggy memories.

'I can't recall the world I was at when my world was gone. Why can't I remember where I ended up at? What did I do there? I can't really remember the people there. There was West, Merlin, and...and...some kind of resistance? What's happening here?'

"It was real, though," she said out loud. "I lost you guys and couldn't find you."

Gabriella rubbed Kyra's back, reassuring and sympathetic. "It was a too real-like dream. You've just been suffering from powerful hallucinations. Just the other day, you thought you were a demigod and were in war with some time titan."

She made a face at that. Funny thing is, Kyra was beginning to recall that. How she tried to get in contact with some other demigods by throwing coins in a hot shower. She's even starting to remember where she was when a pixie grabbed ahold of her hair and how sharp it's tiny teeth were when it bit her in the back of the neck. She was remembering more things that had nothing to do with space travel or darkness. Things here, that happened here on this planet. Normal, safe, no-monsters-after-your-heart memories.

But how could that be? How could she have two sets of memories? Could a little bite really mess with her head that much? Or was this really not real? Which one wasn't real?

While Kyra's mind raged war with opposing thoughts, her mom rubbed her back and talk to her in smoothing tones. It brought back more memories for Kyra, of whenever she was sick as a kid and her mom took care of her. She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to make sense of everything.

"I feel as if, I have two different lives."

Gabriella breathe through her nose, gently touching her daughter's hand. "The doctor said mornings would be challenging, but he also said to go about our regular schedule as usual and that it would help you get your head cleared up." She removed the washcloth and put it back in the bathroom. Kyra stood up slowly, her movements slow. There was a dull ache in her head and a soreness at the base of her neck. She raked her fingers through her hair.

'What is going on?'

A bundle of clothing hit her in the face, breaking her out of her stupor.

"Best to get dress, hon," her mom said, heading for the door. "I got to get the teapot off the stove. I'll see you downstairs." With one last smile, Gabriella left.

Kyra stood stun for a moment.

Looking down, Kyra took note of the purple t-shirt and the dark washed jeans in her arms. Something that she would wear, had worn before.

Shaking her head, she changed out of her pajamas and into the outfit her mother threw at her. Whatever was going on, she would just have to roll with it. Just until she figures all of this out. It couldn't hurt to do that, right? After pulling on some hiking boots, Kyra headed downstairs.

Upon entering the kitchen, Kyra spotted her father and her little brother at the round table, talking about the recent fishing trip they had. Her father looked just as she remembered-or always has been. Same sandy-colored hair, lean build, and blue eyes. Garnet, though, wasn't the little boy she pictured he'd be. He was a young teenager, about fourteen now with similar features akin to their father, drinking orange juice and looking bored. Her mother set a plate down for Kyra and then for herself. Kyra walked in just as Gabriella sat herself down.

"Hey, sleepyhead. How are you?" her father, Truen, greeted her.

Kyra smiled back, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Did you try to talk to water again?"

Gabriella glared at her son. "Garnet..."

Garnet held his hands up in defense, feigning innocence. "What? It was only a question."

Kyra chuckled, taking a seat. Then she frowned as she saw one seat still empty.

"Wait, where's Luke?"

Garnet raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean 'where's Luke'? He's at school."

"School?"

"The University, remember?" He shoveled a forkful of eggs into his mouth before continuing. "He took Rusty with him so your pet can learn advance animal magic while he's learning medicine and healing magic."

"Oh, um, right," Kyra said, remembering. Her mouth twitched, recalling how Luke gave Garnet a noogie after he said he was too old for hugs. She missed Rusty, but this was an incredible opportunity for the both of them. That felt like it was a real memory. She poured herself some tea. "So, how about you guys? What's new with you?"

"We were just talking about the fishing trip the other day," Truen explained, dropping a sugar cube in his own teacup.

Garnet groaned, resting his chin in his hand. "And how horrible it was."

"It wasn't that bad."

Garnet looked at Truen blankly. "We didn't catch anything and I almost lost an eye."

"I've warned you not to stand behind a fisherman when he's casting a line."

"I was right next to you, not behind."

Kyra grinned as she listened to her father and brother lightly argue, her mother looking slightly exasperated. Maybe this was real and all that other stuff was a crazy dream. How could it not be? Although, she still had roots of doubt planted in the back of her mind...

Gabriella looked over to her and furrowed her brow. "Kyra, what's wrong?"

That drew the attention back to her. It was then she felt something wet on her face. She didn't even realized she was crying.

Kyra wiped away her tear. "Nothing," she sniffled. "I'm just...happy to be here."

Garnet rolled his eyes. "Ok, weirdo."

Kyra ruffled his hair, much to his annoyance. "Love you, too."

Kyra spent the rest of the morning talking to her family, enjoying breakfast with them in what felt like since a very long time. Unbeknownst to her, a black raven watched her from afar, perched on the tree just outside the window.

 **TO BE CONTIUNED**


	3. The 'Trick' and Treat Forest

**Disclaimer back in Chapter 1**

 **Thanks to my lovely co-author, we were given a chance to see the world Kyra should have lived in instead of the one she lost. Now it's my turn to show Dragon's side.**

"Being scared is pointless, it's like trying to ice skate on sausages."

-Guilmon

Chapter 3 – The 'Trick' and Treat Forest

If someone told Dragon that diving into the dream universe would be as easy as picking an apple, the young samurai would have called that said person a bloody idiot.

As he was falling through the wormhole of the dream universe, Dragon never felt more alive. He could feel his heart pounding as he watched the different rainbow colours and the random objects passing by him with tremendous speed. He only caught glimpses of them, such as Big Ben making its thunderous toll or the flying whales singing their harmonious cries.

Through the heart attack that was the deep dive, the young man was able to get a visual of the world he was about to enter. With one more final great leap, he boosted his speed until the ground came into view. His descent slowed as he got near and then his feet gently touched the ground.

Dragon examined his surroundings and, as he did, his troubled idea of this world from before didn't improve a bit now.

'Trick' and Treat Forest

Unlike the beautiful, mad dive; this forest looked anything but. The trees were dead, stretched all the way to the ground. Withered to resemble poorly written letters or a claw. The ground devoid of grass or vegetation, the only color were brown and gray outlining from field to path.

Within the area that Dragon had landed, he could see multiple wooden signs nailed on the trunks of the horrible trees. Eyes squinting, he read them aloud.

"No playing, no dancing, no shouting, no games, no jumping, no music, no singing, no fun of any kind? Especially nothing involving magic or happiness or books?" Dragon asked, shocked.

A howl startled him, sounding like it belonged to something much larger than a wolf.

"No wonder this place is so miserable," Dragon lamented, his voice raising an octave.

His moaning was replaced with shivering, caused by a chill from the wind that blew against his back. Dragon hugged his arms and move to tug his sleeves down. Yet, he could not feel them. In fact, his clothes felt different... literally.

Dragon released his arms and studied his attire. To his shock, he had gained a complete wardrobe change. He wore a black, sleeveless shirt with a new, red dragon picture on it; a sleeveless, red jacket that bore a black dragon picture on its back; and red trousers that had pictures of two, black-lined arrows coming down the leggings. His trainers were the same style as before, only the top was recoloured from green to red and the bottoms were recoloured from white to black. He also noticed a small, golden, chestnut necklace hanging around his neck.

He didn't understand why he had changed. He never saw these clothes before ever in his life; let alone to have changed into them.

He then remembered something Roxas told him back on the Falcon.

 _"Yeah, Sora did go to some crazy worlds. There was that Halloweentown world. Man, he looked cool as a vampire."_

That must be it. The laws of this world must have required him to magically change clothes. He remembered reading about such situations, but due to not exploring so many worlds he wasn't exposed to the effect until now.

He shook his head. Now wasn't the time for daydreaming. He needed to find Kyra before the Nightmare devoured her.

Dragon took a deep breath, trying to steel his nerves. This forest was nothing like the one back in Twilight Town. Where that one was full of green and the light of a constant sunset, this place was dark and dead. What made it more terrifying was it was part of a dream. A dream in which anything could happen. He laughed internally, thinking about all the times he wished the trio was with him when he had to go through that forest back home. That forest was a perfect haven compared to this place.

"Come on, now," he ordered himself, rolling his shoulders. "You may have time, but she doesn't."

Dragon stroked the handle of his beloved sword. He knew he was all alone in this horrible, miserable place. Yet, he knew he had to suck it up for Kyra. He had to find her.

"One step forward," he told himself.

The young samurai began his trek into the woods. As he kept going forward, he couldn't find anything different from the area where he landed. He found some small cliffs, shallow ponds, and hollow meadows. Besides those little landmarks, the trees made wherever he go appear as if he was going in a circle. Dragon tried to cut some of the tree branches to make a pathway for himself. The plan failed, sadly, as the trees, while made of wood, had the strength of titanium. Right down to the thinnest twig.

Dragon even tried to recount his steps. Like the tree cutting, the plan was a failure. It may have been paranoia but he could have sworn he passed one of the ponds at least three times.

He sighed. Feeling both tired and exhausted, the young samurai slumped down along the trunk of a random tree.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Dragon felt like breaking a few of the signs and making a wooden tent out of them.

In a funny sense, he almost felt like dreaming.

"Crow."

Dragon's eyes broke from their sleepy trance as he jumped up, alert. He scanned the area.

"Crow!"

Dragon heard the noise again as he looked up at the tree in front of him. On it he saw an innocent-looking, white-feathered pigeon sitting on the strange branch.

Dragon gave a relieved but faint smile. "Well, at least I know I'm not the only one stuck here."

The pigeon pointed its head to the left side of the forest.

"What are you showing me there, little guy?" Dragon peeked his head to the other side.

Dragon gasped. He couldn't believe he didn't see it sooner but there it was. A light. A beautiful, glowing light in this wretched, bleak forest.

"Is…Is that the way out of here?" Dragon asked the pigeon.

The pigeon peeped gleefully as it flew into the direction of the bright light.

Dragon smiled as he began to follow the pigeon, but as he did he noticed his chestnut necklace was glowing a dark purple colour. That raised a little red flag there, but the idea of getting out of this forest was too wonderful. He would worry about the necklace later.

After jumping some logs, swatting away some branches, the young samurai finally found the light.

However, before he could go to it, the light dimmed down and was gone. Dragon's face fell.

"What?" In front of Dragon where once the heavenly exit was had been replaced by a bare, plain, white tree.

The pigeon landed on one of the trunks. Just looking at Dragon bemusingly.

Dragon raised an eyebrow. "Erm, buddy. I think we missed a turn."

The pigeon started chirping sweetly before the chirping changed to a nasty crowing.

Something which a raven would make.

"Buddy?" Dragon asked, apprehensive.

The pigeon transformed. Its white feathers turned deep black, its legs became yellow, its beak long and yellow with its eyes becoming old and staggering purple underneath the now transformed raven eyes.

Dragon backed away, unsheathing Steel Slayer. "What are you?" He asked.

The raven smiled evilly as a purple aura surrounded the bare tree. The white oak turned purple, the branches grew thorns, the roots popped out of the ground and acted like spider legs. Two red, beady eyes awakened in the centre of the tree with the nightmare symbol underneath.

As the raven flew off the evil branch, the nightmare tree began its assault on the young samurai.

Dragon slashed one of the branches off and heard the nightmare tree howl in pain. To retaliate, it smacked Dragon across the face, causing him to fly further into the forest. The tree used its spider legs and crawled up to Dragon.

Dragon barrel-rolled underneath the evil tree and stabbed the lower part of it.

The raven watched as the fight continued. While its dream eater was strong, this samurai had enough experience to see its weak spots. He needed to be pulled down a peg.

The raven cawed and a bottomless hole appeared underneath Dragon. The young samurai fell right inside. He tried to grab onto something but to no avail.

His falling stopped abruptly as he felt something holding his body up, like he was being grabbed.

Dragon turned his head to see what it was. His eyes widened as he immediately felt ill. Hands! Human hands all attached to the ground of the tunnel from top to wherever the bottom was. He cringed from their touches. He felt them pulling his joints from all ends.

Despite the immense displeasure, he could hear the evil tree crawling to the tunnel.

The young samurai squirmed in pain as one of the tree's spiked branches tied itself around his stomach and pulled him back to the surface.

Once resurfaced, more spiked branches wrapped around Dragon's legs and arms. Blood seeped into his clothes and dripped onto the dirt. He did his best not to scream but rather grit his teeth together, grinding them to deal with the pain.

This was it for him. His wounds would deepen from the tree's squeezing him like an lemon and he would eventually die from blood loss. If the tree didn't tear him apart first.

He wasn't going to see Twilight Town again, never hang out again with the trio, or ever find out his original world. What hurt him most was that he failed Kyra. Now they would both be dead all because he wasn't strong enough to find her. He failed her. He failed her completely.

Then the pain stopped. Dragon weakly opened his eyes to see the Nightmare Tree had frozen. He did his best to look behind it and caught sight of the glowing arrow sticking out of its back.

The Nightmare disintegrated until it faded away into nothingness. Dragon crashed down onto the ground, causing the pain to his injuries to expand further

In the distance, he could make out a small, blurry figure holding a bow. The figure made its way to Dragon. Unfortunately, all the pain Dragon had accumulated took its toll and the young samurai lost consciousness.

Sometime later...

Soon, the darkness of Dragon's sleep had ended as his eyes opened. His vision cleared, the blurry images in front of him forming themselves onto a clear image.

He found himself in a wooden bed for two. Next to him was a chair where his new shirt and jacket were hanging from. Steel Slayer was propped up against the chair.

Dragon scanned the room. From what he could tell this was a countryside cottage. He remembered when he was still little how he, along with the trio, went with Olette's father to one during autumn break back in Twilight Town.

The floor was wooden, the walls were a custard yellow, and a lovely designed rug was laid not too far from a fireplace, which was lit and made the cottage feel like the inside of a sleeping bag. Warm and cozy.

Dragon got out of bed, got dressed, and started to make his way to the doorway.

"Going without saying a thank you?"

Dragon turned around to see a red armchair. On it was an eight-year-old reading a book.

Dragon breathed in and out, flabbergasted. "Eh, sorry. I was going to leave a note."

"A note? Man, you really have bad, gentlemen skills," the young boy quipped.

"If it's about saving my life, then you have my thanks. It's just, I literally am pressed for time," Dragon answered, pointing to the door.

"You're not going to get out, you know."

"Why not?" Dragon quizzed.

"Simple; the forest changes." The boy put down his book. He revealed himself to have purple eyes, brown eyebrows, a red shirt covered by sky-blue overalls with black trainers. He also had a necklace with the dream eater symbol on it. What caught Dragon's attention was the boy's hair. It was short, raven black with a purple lining coming down from one of the ends. It was like an exact copy of-

"Kyra's." Dragon whispered.

"Kyra? Is she your girlfriend?" The boy mused, jokingly.

"No." Dragon shook his head, annoyed. "She is someone I'm looking for."

"Well ,I can tell you I didn't see any girl here," The boy debunked as he resumed his reading.

"How can you be sure?" Dragon questioned.

"I lived in this forest all my life, I know it better than anyone. You were the only one I found out there," The boy answered.

Dragon sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I guess I need to keep looking."

"Like I said before, you can't get out of the forest. It changes all the time. You'll be lost forever." The boy licked his finger and turned a page.

"Wait! You could get me out of here." Dragon rushed over and grabbed onto the chair's armrests, causing the boy to drop his book in surprise.

"Dude, boundaries," The boy berated, pushing Dragon away. He let out a breath. "Outside the forest are just some fields and roads. Other than that, I don't really know much else about the outside world."

"That's fine," Dragon said, "I just need to get out and start exploring. I'll take any help I can get."

The boy thought for a moment before relenting. "Ok, fine."

The boy jumped out of his chair and went to the doorway. He got his small, purple hood along with a small set of bow and arrows.

He moved to the bed Dragon had slept on. He turned a knob, causing the whole thing to move to the left side of its original position.

Once the bed was moved, both boys could see a staircase that led down to a small passageway. Without any more questions, they made their way down the small staircase and through the passage, so Dragon could finally leave the horrid forest.

The Roads of Meadows

Dragon and his guide pushed a large, fake flower pot out of the way and climbed out of the tunnel.

Dragon felt a massive relief come over him. The roads and fields looked like something from Yorkshire. The beautiful meadows were all showing off the most beautiful of grass one could ask for. The roads were grey pavements which had been incorporated into the meadows.

"Well, my job's done," The young boy brushed off as he made his way back to the flower pot.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't ask for more. Thank you," Dragon replied. After all, the boy may have been a slight smart aleck, but he did save him and showed him a way out. It would be more than right to show some appreciation.

The boy snapped his fingers. "Oh, one thing. I read in one of my books about this monster territory, total ban zone where one would 'Not' go there."

"What's it called?" Dragon asked, for all he knew he might need to make a small detour if he couldn't find Kyra anywhere else.

"Drayage," The boy answered casually.

Dragon choked on those words. "Drayage!"

"Yeah, not the best place in these parts." The boy made a face, like he ate something stale.

"Drayage...that's the name of…" Dragon thought back to the Gummi Ship, sitting next to Kyra as she told him what each button did and which ones he wasn't allowed to touch (it was most of them) that first day. He remembered when her sleeve got caught on one of the levers and pulled up to reveal her wrist. Just before she fixed it, his eyes caught that word. Below it, tattooed across, was Drayage.

"That's where she is!" Dragon exclaimed, slamming a fist into his palm. What better trap to have than one that looks like home. "That's where I have to go!"

"Erm...If that's the case, I think I may tag along with ya," The young man said as he fitted the fake flower pot back into place.

Dragon stared at the boy. "What? I thought you didn't want to?"

He shrugged. "I know. It's just...you don't seem like a smart apple and if you're going to Drayage, then a dumb dumb like you is gonna need all the help he can get," The young man explained slowly.

"You said you never been outside of the forest before," Dragon countered with his arms crossed, showing a rather comedic, stern expression.

"I know, and I feel bad inside. The only time I leave is to get food from the local villages, but other than that, I barely know anything about this world. Sure, books give me some knowledge, but there could be so much more out there."

The young boy glanced down the road, looking beyond the horizon ."I can't be a hermit forever. If I stay home, all I'm doing is finding an excuse to miss out."

Dragon felt a pang in his chest. The words 'hermit' and 'staying at home' were all too familiar words for him. This was some funny re-enactment of why he left Twilight Town. Only this time he was the one who gets to say 'come with me.'

Dragon bent down to meet the eight-year-old at eye level. "You know we could face a lot of danger?"

"At least it's a change from reading a book."

"WE could get lost."

"More excuse to explore."

Dragon smiled. "Okay, you can come with me." He offered his hand. "You can call me Dragon."

"You can call me-!" The young boy paused. He scratched his head. "You know, I just realized something. I don't have a name."

"You don't?" Dragon asked, surprised, "Didn't your parents named you?"

"They couldn't have, I don't have parents."

Dragon gasped. "But how? You were… okay, how about you pick a name." Dragon suggested to the young boy.

"Hmmm?" The young boy held his chin, biting his lip in thought. He soon got an idea. "I like the name Albus!"

"Albus?" Dragon questioned.

"Yeah. I mean, the guy who is writing this is watching the second film and that quote from the last chapter gave him the idea."

"What?" Dragon asked, feeling very confused.

"What?" Albus answered back.

Dragon shook his head, bemused. "Whatever. It's nice to meet you, Albus." He shook the young archer's hand.

"Likewise, Dragon." Albus greeted, shaking Dragon's hand.

With the introductions out of the way, the new partners-in-crime set forth to Drayage in hopes of finding Kyra.

What they didn't know was the raven who had tricked Dragon earlier came out behind the fake flower pot. He glared at the two before flying off.

 **To Be Continued**


	4. Melodious Omens

**Disclaimer back at Chapter one. This chapter was written by my brilliant co author MysteyGirl7Freack a message from her can be seen at the end of the chapter but still thank you so much my amazing co author.**

"Go on with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all."  
― Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief

Chapter 4 - Melodious Omens

As Dragon and Albus raced to Drayage, Kyra was enjoying herself.

After breakfast, she helped her mom cleaned up and then everyone had gone on a small, family walk through the meadow just outside their house. The sun shone brightly as they talked and laughed with one another, a gentle breeze rippling the tall flowers.

'This felt real. No, it was real, right?'

The ache in her head still throbbed between her eyes.

A while later, Kyra sat with her legs crossed on the porch, watching her dad and brother changing the porch swing's chain. Garnet struggled under the weight of the swing in his arms, holding it up. Meanwhile, Truen took off the old chain and climb down the step ladder, all the while talking.

"...we were low in number, but luckily for us, the opposing army were lower and had ran out of resources. So, they were forced to surrender and retreat underground. Forever. We won and had peace ever since."

Garnet grunted, beads of sweat forming on his head. "Honestly, I think they were dumb. That whole 'having darkness swallow our world and become one with darkness itself' was a bunch of nonsense."

Truen climbed up and started attaching the new chain. "All we knew for sure was they wanted destruction. Didn't matter if that also meant for them too. Those nasty creatures wanted the whole world dead."

A cold shiver tingled up Kyra's spine. "I'm glad they didn't won. That they never made a reappearance and spread that disease."

Truen paused. "Disease?"

Kyra looked up, blinking. "I um...I feel like that could have happened."

"Well, there's nothing to worry about," Truen assured her, finishing up his work. He climbed down and Garnet backed away from the swing after giving it a testing push. It swung back and forth smoothly. "We are all safe."

"Safe…" Kyra repeated, watching the porch swing. Why did that word seemed so strange to her?

"Hey! Kyra!"

Kyra snapped out of her daze and looked back. Running up the path was a girl her age with curly hair and brown eyes with a smile up for trouble.

Kyra stood up, shocked. "Holly?"

Holly stopped right at the porch railing and pouted up at her. "You still out of it, Kyra? Don't you remember what we're going to do today?"

"Um…"

"Hanging out by the Sprite's Pond, of course! The others are waiting. We're already fifteen minutes late."

Kyra blinked before nodding. "Right. Sorry, I must have forgotten." She turned back to her father and Garnet. "You ok if-"

Truen gestured for her to go, smiling. "You go have fun. Stay away from the Pixies' Pines."

"Don't worry, sir," Holly reassured him as Kyra climbed over the railing and jump down beside the plaid-covered girl. "I'm way better at directions than those clumsy twins. Let's go!"

Holly races away before Kyra was ready. Kyra rushed after her, falling behind a few feet.

"Holly, wait up!"

Truen chuckled as he watched Kyra's retreating back. Then the porch swing crash down to the floor, startling father and son.

Garnet winced, scratching the back of his head. "I don't think the chain was attached right."

Forest of Dryads

Kyra ran after her friend, weaving through the trees as she tries to keep the brown blur in sight. She climbed over a fallen log before she suddenly stopped, hearing something you don't usually hear in a forest.

A violin playing.

Curious, Kyra tread carefully off course, toward where the music was coming from. Pushing some branches aside, she caught sight of a young girl sitting on a rock. The violin giving off a soft melody as her hands played it.

"Hello?"

Still playing, the girl turned around to face Kyra. The girl was younger than Kyra, possibly fourteen. A blue, travelling cloak draped her body, black leggings and a white shirt-tunic with a weird symbol underneath. Her face was calm, like she was at peace with the world. Light-brown hair draped over one shoulder in a single braid, the clips styled as different phases of the moon cycle. The most startling feature of all was the color of her eyes; the irises were purple like Kyra's, but only one of them was. The other was a brown color like... someone else's.

Why couldn't she think of the name?

She gave Kyra a dreamy smile. "Hello. It's good to see you again."

"Again?"

"Or perhaps it's good to meet you? It's a little hard to tell sometimes here. There's no chronological timeline in this place."

Confused, Kyra stepped forward. "Who are you?"

The girl turned away from her, her hands never ceasing their movements. "I'm a dream, or a future. Depends on what choices are made."

"...I meant your name."

She tilted her head, drawing out a long note. "Lindsey. Or maybe Luna. It's not decided yet. Although I like Clara, so you could call me that. Clara…Lunera. Although the Lunera would be my middle name."

Kyra raised an eyebrow. Although this girl's skill with the violin seems impressive, she wasn't very clear with her words. "Are you new around here? I don't think I've ever seen you here before."

"That's cuz you're new around here."

Kyra blinked. "Excuse me?"

The girl suddenly leaped up, balancing herself by her toes on the boulder while slowly stretching out a leg like some kind of ballerina. "You're in danger."

"What?"

"Your head is confused with memories that contradict each other. Your heart knows what's true and what's false, but you aren't ready to accept it. So you're blocking it off. I know that it's hard to search for something for so long and when you think you have it, it turns out to be a red herring. But if you don't wake up, you'll never complete your search," Clara explained, all the while slowly switching one leg down and the other leg up.

This girl was strange. It was as if she was the complete opposite of Kyra. Where Kyra was fierce and fire, this girl was like water. A serene pond in a lush garden.

'This girl is just crazy,' Kyra decided, frowning.

Clara finished the medley she was playing and spun around, facing Kyra. "You don't believe me?"

"Of course I don't," Kyra replied, glaring at her. "You're speaking in riddles and it's ridiculous. I'm outta here." She turned to go.

"Back to Holly to Sprite's Pond to meet the others?"

Kyra halted in her tracks, her breath caught in her throat. She turned back. "What?! But how did-"

"That is where he wants you to go." Clara slid off the rock, her slipper/boots soundlessly touched the grass. She adjusted her strings and starts up a merry tune, dancing around Kyra.

 _"~Oh, a dragon, a dragon,_  
 _With the heart of a raven_  
 _Holds the key_  
 _To set you free._  
 _Beware of the shadows,_  
 _For they mean you harm._  
 _Don't listen to your head,_  
 _Instead, trust your heart~"_

Finishing with a flourish, Clara ceased her dancing and stared at Kyra with such solemnity that her heart clenched.

"Please don't fall for the lie," Clara whispered, her voice soft as a breeze. "I don't want to see you lost."

Kyra started to reach a hand out to Clara. "I don't under-"

"Kyra!"

Kyra whipped around at the sound of the shout just as Holly appeared to the scene. She turned back to Clara, but there was no one there. Vanished as if she never existed.

"Hey, slowpoke. Thought I lost ya there for a minute." Holly jogged up to her, confusion on her face. "You ok?"

Kyra didn't respond, just stared at the spot Clara once stood. "She said 'that's where he wants you to go'. Who's she?"

"Huh?" Holly tilted her head, feeling lost. "Say what now?"

"The girl with the violin," Kyra explained. "She said I was in danger and to not fall for the lie. What lie, though?"

Holly frowned before waving her hand dismissively. "It's probably nothing but one of those tricks from those elven 's nothing to worry about."

"I don't know…"

Holly clapped a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Oh come on, Kyra! We've been friends since we were five. Have I ever steer you wrong?"

Kyra looked at her friend, the infectious smile tugging her lips into a smirk.

"Just into a bit of trouble now and then," she teased back.

They both laughed.

"Now," Holly started, looping her arm through Kyra's, "let's stop standing like statues and get to running! Think you can keep up?"

" As long as you don't tripped me up," Kyra joked back.

Laughing, they took off, arm in arm and smiling.

While sprinting with her best friend by her side, Kyra couldn't help but wonder about Clara's words and warning. 'What did she mean?'

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 **Co-Author's note: For those of you wondering what song Clara was playing, it was "Dearly Beloved", a kingdom hearts song by Yoko Shimomura (If my research is right). Also, the symbol on her shirt is a Dream Eater's symbol. Sorry for the long wait. Between the holidays, life, and being obsessed over KH3 coming out, writing has not been easy for me to do or to find time for. Hopefully, I'll be writing more. Happy reading and playing Kingdom Hearts:)**


	5. Broken Teeth

D **isclaimer in Chapter 1**

 **Hello, friends. It's my turn now to continue this saga of dreams, dragons, and whatever the heck you want out of a Square Enix based story. Did anyone see the PlayStation 1 CG openings of the first six FF games? So gothic and weird, but so cool. Anyway, Kingdom Hearts 3 came out. Yay! Now, let's see how long it takes to make Kingdom Hearts 4. Well, enough of being the middle-aged bachelor neighbour to Dustin Hoffman, I want to say thank you to my co-author. She did a wonderful job on the last chapter. Clara was so cool.**

"I never loved my brothers. A sad thing for a man to admit, but it's true. You were the brother I chose."

-King Robert Baratheon I

Chapter 5 – Broken Teeth

While Kyra dealt with the strange Clara in her 'home world', Dragon and Albus were continuing their venture throughout the Yorkshire-like meadows.

Dragon wiped his brow, staring at the fields before turning back to the road in front of them.

At first, he'd enjoyed the sight of the beautiful scenery. Now, if he saw another patch of gravel or grass, he'd pull his hair out from the boredom and frustration.

"AAGH! JUST CHANGE ALREADY!" He screamed, stirring up a dirt cloud with a kick.

Albus rolled his eyes at the older boy's outburst. "Dude, aren't you meant to be the calm and patient one?"

Dragon groaned loudly, his shoulders slouching. "Albus, we've been on this road for hours. We haven't seen any signs, pit stops, or even any Dream Eaters. Can't believe I'm saying this, but I would love to fight a Dream Even right now. At least it would be a change from this road."

Albus clapped his hands sarcastically. "Congrats. You're no longer the shy, bookworm guy. You're the hyperactive, early 2000's anime guy who screams at every little thing."

Dragon sighed, scratching behind his ear. "Sorry, Albus. I didn't mean to lose it. It's just every minute we waste, Kyra is getting pulled down deeper by the Nightmare." Dragon clenched his fists. "For all I know, we could only have one more second. It could even be too late." Just thinking that made his stomach churned.

Albus moved closer to the older boy. "This Kyra gal really must be important to you." A mischievous smile grew on his face. "Is she your girlfriend?" He asked innocently, batting his eyelashes like a butterfly.

"What!?" Dragon screeched, causing his dimples to glow red and his voice to go up an octave. "Don't be stupid."

Albus laughed at him. "The look on your face! You do like her!"

Dragon tucked his hands into his pockets, avoiding eye contact. "Look, she's just a friend who got me through a ton of difficult stuff. I like her as a 'friend'. I only like her as a 'friend'. Do you understand me, you strange little child?"

Albus scoffed. "You really are a stick in the mud, aren't ya?" The young archer crossed his arms. "I wish my aunt was here. She was way cooler."

"Aunt?" Dragon questioned. "I thought you didn't know who your family was? How do you know you have an aunt?"

Albus was about to answer him, but paused as confusion shadowed his features. He scratched his head. "Huh. Honestly, I don't know. One moment, I knew I had an aunt. Now, I can't remember. It's like my brain flickered or something."

Dragon rubbed his eyes, slightly frustrated. He knew Albus was a young boy and, as the older one of the two, he needed to be patient. However, with the constant teasing, it was giving him a headache.

"Albus, maybe it would be better if you went home?" Dragon suggested.

"WHAT!" Albus screamed, causing the young samurai's eyes to widen from the shock. Both stopped in their tracks and stood still in the middle of the road.

"I offer to help you find your girlfriend, save you from a nightmare tree, and in return you want me to leave?!" Albus huffed with his cheeks bright red from the rage.

"Look, Albus. I really have to find Kyra and I can't be babysitting and rescuing at the same time," Dragon explained. He didn't wish to be cruel to the young child, especially after his own experience with Golbez. At the same time, he couldn't add on more problems on top of the ones he already has.

Albus's expression changed from anger to sad desperation. "But Dragon, I don't want to go back! I want to go on an adventure and go outside that stupid forest. If I go back, my life might as well be over."

"It's not like your real," Dragon replied without a second thought.

Albus gasped, taking a step back.

Dragon's eyes widened from the realization of what he had said. Immediately, the guilt gripped his heart.

"Albus, I didn't mean...OUCH!" Dragon screamed as Albus kicked his leg.

"YOU'RE A BIG JERK, YOU KNOW THAT!" Albus shouted, tears stinging his eyes. "You know what, forget you! I don't need you!" Albus began marching down the road.

Dragon's stomach sank. What right did he have to say that to a young kid? Despite all his stupid jokes about Kyra, he was, for all his best intentions, trying to help him.

"Albus, wait!" Dragon shouted as he ran after the young archer.

Albus shot him a glare over his shoulder. "Too late, Dragon. Just leave me alo-" Albus didn't have a moment to finish his sentence as a giant shadow knocked him out.

"Albus!" Dragon screeched. He was about to take out his sword to save the young archer. However, a giant blue and black panda in a cape with rainbow like paws and feet appeared right in front of him.

"A Dream Eater!" Dragon gasped, recognizing the symbol on the Kooma Panda Dream Eater.

Before Dragon could even touched the hilt of his sword, the panda whacked Dragon and his world went dark.

Training Camp

Groaning, Dragon regained consciousness as he struggled to open his eyes. At first, his vision was blurry, but soon, his surroundings slowly took shape. The buzz ringing in his eardrums cleared as his mind focused.

Dragon got up, rubbing his sore head. He and Albus were in a cage and outside of that said cage look like a bandit camp. A couple of tents, some stolen goods, and a fire pit burning.

What caught Dragon's eye was the centre of the camp. It was a normal metallic blue circle; nothing important didn't really stand out. Yet he found it strange that it was so randomly placed. Why not in a tent or with the other stolen goods?

Speaking of stolen, he looked at his belt and then at Albus's sleeping form. Whoever kidnapped them had really thought their kidnapping through as their weapons were confiscated.

Dragon bent down to wake up the young kid. "Albus? Albus, wake up, kid." Dragon gently poked the young archer.

Albus yawned. "Dragon? Can you tell me the story about the rabbits again?"

Dragon rolled his eyes. "Ugh, wake up."

Albus slowly got up and, like Dragon, examined the area. "Where are we?"

"You, my little cosplay friend, are in the Doofenshmirtz's Blitzball Incorporated Arena of Death!"

Dragon and Albus turned to find where the whiny, German-like voice came from.

Four nightmare Kooma Pandas were carrying a giant chair on their shoulders. On it was a very skinny man with a strange jawline, a slight hunchback, a long nose, incredibly short brown hair, and finally, eyes that looked like they had not slept in ages. He was wearing a green shirt, a white furry coat, brown trousers, and black boots.

"So, you petty wanderers dare to stumble onto the great Tri Blitzball Champion, Doofenshmirtz!" He said with an added threatening tone.

He then looked unsure and scratched his neck. "Well, I wouldn't call myself a champion. I mean, I never played the game, but it's kind of worked with the gimmick I'm trying to do here, but you know it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter! YOU'RE MY PRISONERS!" He screeched manically.

"Why have you kidnapped us?!" Dragon demanded from the strange bandit.

In fact, it did feel strange. He had never met this Doofenshmirtz guy, but he remembered Kyra mentioning this strange scientist once who was obsessed with a pet of two brothers she knew who pretty much was like the man he saw in front of him. Yet that one was a scientist, not some sport bandit.

He then remembered what Merlin told him before he left. He could meet people he never met before in this world, but what if that meant meeting alternative versions of them that were integrated into this created dream world.

"Now that you two are my prisoners, you will play Blitzball until you die!" Doofenshmirtz crackled insanely.

Dragon scratched his head. "What the heck is Blitzball?"

Doofenshmirtz sighed and proceeded in a bored tone. "It's basically basketball in a bubble swimming pool."

Dragon and Albus nodded in understanding. "Oh yeah."

"Makes total sense," responded Albus.

"Why the obsession?" Dragon asked.

Doofenshmirtz's eyes become teary. "My obsession with Blitzball stems from my traumatic childhood."

Both captives could have sworn they heard a sad violin playing somewhere.

"You see, when I was a little boy my mother-AHHH" Doofenshmirtz screamed as a ball hit him directly in the face.

"You're not going to tell them more of your whiny stories."

Doofenshmirtz regained himself, now having a black eye. "Curse you, Jecht the Blitzball player! I was telling the prisoners my traumatic childhood story and you ruined it with your jock attitude. Why must you kill my dramatic Oscar winning performances?"

Jecht, who appeared to be a young fifteen-year-old with short but wild black hair and tanned skin. He wore only a sleeveless, short, leather jacket; leather black, long shorts; and had a blue bandana on his head.

He rolled his eyes. "I was trying to save my ears. What's your excuse?"

Doofenshmirtz gritted his teeth at the sports jock. Why the heck did he recruit him, a giant cockroach would be a better hench... eh he meant to think blitzball player. Whatever the case, he had to make do with the worst he had.

Doofenshmirtz got to the point. "As my helpless damsels in distress, you will be having a Blitzball match against this sloth."

Jecht glared at Doofenshmirtz with an evil eye, causing the insecure bandit to shift.

"Eh, as I was saying, you will go against my, eh, star player," Doofenshmirtz continued with an dried up, miserable tone causing Jecht to grin cockily. "You two, plus three dream eaters, vs him and four dream eaters. Five vs five. See, I'm not such a nasty guy. I believe in all that stuff. You know equal rights, political correctness, and getting offended by every bad tweet that disagrees with someone's life choices."

Jecht sighed with boredom. "Dude, you really, really try too hard."

Doofenshmirtz jumped out of his chair. "Hey, I..eh, I...eh."

Jecht raised a brow at him, unimpressed.

He huffed and re-seated himself before motioning for the Nightmares to take him back to his tent. "We will see who will have the final say, Jecht the Blitzball player. Get ready for the match of your lifetime, boys." The strange man laughed maniacally.

Dragon scratched his head. "Well...that happened, I guess."

He turned to look at Jecht. "Look, um, we really don't have time for this. I have some money on me, could we...?"

"Nuh-uh. Sorry dude, but that never works for me." Jecht shrugged off.

"But you and the weirdo, don't you hate each other?" Albus questioned.

"Yeah...downside is I got an idiot for a boss, upside is I play all the Blitzball I want. So why would I want to lose out on that."

Dragon sighed. "Look, we have a mission we need to-"

"Again, not my problem, dude," Jecht interrupted. "See you at midnight, boys. Look forward to some bone breaking." Jecht, finished with the conversation, made his way to his own tent.

Dragon leaned his head against the bars, groaning. Merlin did say this world would create obstacles between him and reaching Kyra. It was more than obvious these Blitzball bandits were created by this world to do so. He straighten up.

"Albus, we need to think of a plan. They haven't told us a thing about the game, so we need to learn as we play and... Albus?" He saw the young archer was slumped down on the floor of the cage trying to get to sleep.

"Albus?" Dragon questioned again.

"So, I exist now?" He rebuffed sarcastically.

Dragon bit his lip, remembering their little fight. "Okay, you're right. I was a jerk. Can we try and move on, so we don't end up being Dream Eater food?"

"They'll probably complain about how you would taste like. My money is on trash," Albus shot back at Dragon.

The young samurai clenched his fists, having enough of this dispute. Granted, he was the one who started it and he was sorry, but he did not have to play lightning rod to this brat.

"Just go to sleep," he answered more harshly than he had intended it to be. He slumped down on the cage floor and let sleep take over him.

"Jerk," Albus bit back.

-Midnight-

The sound of clanging broke through the night's silence. Both Dragon and Albus were fluttering their eyes weakly from their abrupt awakening.

Jecht was banging a wooden stick on the cage's bars until he had their full attention. Then he threw it aside. "The idiot wants to play the killing game."

The boys turned to look at each other with tired, red eyes. While no words were said, their eyes and facial expressions were all the mutual feelings both needed to exchange with one another.

They did not like each other.

The camp had been lit up with four bonfires outside the camp, each guarded by a Kooma Panda nightmare. Doofenshmirtz was sitting in a royal box, quite like the one the Red Queen had for Alice's trial in Wonderland, only recoloured sky and navy blue with a Blitzball symbol in the middle column.

Jecht led the two young companions into the centre blue, metal circle. Dragon and Albus stood on the right side while Jecht stood on the left.

Doofenshmirtz stood up from the seat in his box, waving his hand around like the man was a president in a parade. "Ladies and gentlemen!" He announced proudly, voice booming in the mostly empty area.

"There's no one here idiot," Jecht answered with all the sarcasm he could muster.

"There are the Dream Eaters!" Doofenshmirtz rebuked.

Jecht looked at the four nightmares, raising an eyebrow "Seriously?"

Doofenshmirtz slouched down back to his seat. "Okay, so here are the rules. First player who has the highest points within the time limit wins. It's five vs five, yada, yada, swimming pool quidditch," Doofenshmirtz summarized with the most pathetic and bored voice anyone could make.

Doofenshmirtz snarled at Jecht. "You happy now? You happy for killing the one thing I look forward to in my life, you miserable jock?"

Jecht stroked his chin. "Yeah, feels pretty good."

Doofenshmirtz whined in his chair, banging his fists against the armrests like a little boy. After his tantrum, he clapped his hands which caused the blue circle to light up.

Dragon looked down at his feet, shocked to see water engulfing them. It didn't take long for the three to be trapped in a giant bubble full of water inside. Dragon tried to hold his breath, terrified of suffocating from the water.

Yet he found no reason to. Despite the circumstances, he found that he could breath perfectly fine. The bubble's maximum size was equal to that of a football stadium. Two golden circles appeared from each side, indicating they were goals.

Next to Dragon and Albus three blue skinned, yellow-greenish, bellied sea horses appeared with long blue fins with longish dragon-like tails and the spirit symbol on their chest.

Jecht had four nightmare Tatsu Steeds appear on his side of the bubble, except they had a darker navy-blue colour then their spirit counterparts and purple stomachs with the nightmare symbol on their stomachs.

A red and black Dream Eater appeared in the middle of the two teams. Dragon and Jecht swam towards it and get ready for the call.

Dragon felt the intensity of the ball. He couldn't understand why, but he felt a surge of energy just by looking at this small kid's toy. It reminded him of the struggle matches back at Twilight Town. This adrenaline rush flowing through his bloodstream. The feeling that his brain was going to turn off and become a complete slave to his bones.

The silence was murder. He felt like a gun was at the back of his head, the urge to grab the ball was so intense. He had no idea why. It was just a ball and this whole match was simply filler to keep them from reaching Kyra. Yet the idea of grabbing that ball and making Jecht swim for his life to get it gave Dragon an incredible sensation of exhilaration.

Is this why people went so crazy for football?

"PLAY BALL!" Doofenshmirtz screamed at the top of his lungs.

Dragon was about to take the ball, but Jecht punched the young samurai in the face and took it. The Blitz jock swam a few meters away from him and threw it to a nightmare Tatsu Steed. That said Tatsu Steed aired the ball into its airhole and blew it straight into a goal.

0 -1

Albus grunted as he took the ball into his arms. He tried to swim towards the enemy's goal, but he felt one of the nightmare Tatsu Steeds casted blind on the archer. This had caused Albus to let go to tend to his eyes.

A spirit Tatsu Steed came from behind Albus and headbutted the ball towards another spirit Tatsu Steed, who blew it towards Dragon who swam at the opposite side of the goal. The young samurai caught it and kicked it to the goal.

1-1

Jecht grunted. He took the ball and flat out punched a spirit Tatsu Steed then he used his legs to put it in a head lock and catapult the spirit into another one of its kind.

The third spirit Tatsu Steed shot a dozen of blizzard attacks at Jecht causing the jock to let go of the ball and float upside down like a dead fish.

Albus was about to get the ball, but Jecht got his second wind and twisted his body like a tornado and shot the ball directly into the goal.

1-2

One of the spirits Tatsu Seed shot a blizzard attack at the ball, allowing Albus to catch it in his arms. He started to swim as fast as he could towards the goal. He felt the nightmare Tatsu Seeds closing in on him like a pack of prison dogs.

Luckily for him, his spirits counterparts were able to intercept the nightmare counterparts and gave way to a skirmish. Albus was able to use this to his advantage to get to the goal! All he had to do was shoot like hell and-oh no.

Jecht already had made it to that goal, taking the role of goalie. His arms crossed and a smug smile decorated his face with arrogance.

Albus gulped. That lunatic would beat the crap out him. He quickly thought of any scenario of not ending up as a watery, bloody pulp. After some quick thinking, all scenarios said he would end up as a watery, bloody pulp.

He was screwed.

Jecht positioned his arms, ready to grab the young tike and break him in half. He attempted to make his strike, but Dragon came from behind. He slid his arms behind Jecht and put him in a headlock.

While Dragon was focusing on his battle with Jecht, he motioned for Albus to take the strike.

Albus nodded in response. He swam as fast as he could to the top of the bubble. He used his energy to kick the ball into the air outside the bubble's barrier. He used the pressure of the water to push himself outside of the barrier as well.

The laws of gravity took their course, causing the archer to fall back into the bubble but he did in the split second he had no matter how short his move. He could see clearly the ball in front of him and, with all his might, he smashed it back into the bubble, breaking the barrier with a thunderous echo.

2 -2

Dragon gulped with surprise. How did the kid do that? With his small size and small skill of swimming, he should have never made such an incredible move.

It reminded Dragon of how Albus saved him from the nightmare tree. It took the kid only one shot from his arrows to take down the monster.

It's strange. This kid could be hopeless and a pain in the butt, but when Dragon needed him, he just turned into this pro. As if nothing could take him down.

Why did this kid have such the ability? Who exactly was he?

Doofenshmirtz yawned, this match was so dull. The kid got a signature move, big whoop. When had Jecht not done that?

It was like a soap opera, just seeing the replayed predictable storyline. Where was the surprise? The effort? He couldn't feel the excitement in his heart, just the growing tiredness.

If only there was a way to make this match more entertaining.

Doofenshmirtz moved to get his goblet of wine. Instead, surprisingly he had reached a new item that had not been there originally. "Huh?"

Confused, he examined the new item. Some kind of small glass bottle. Inside, there appeared to be a small shrimp-like dream eater violently attacking the insides.

Doofenshmirtz found a letter stuck onto the bottle. He unclipped it and started to read.

 _'Feeling bored? Getting tired of looking at the stupid bubble?_

 _Then throw this in and have the match of a lifetime!_

 _From your biggest fan.'_

"Biggest fan!" Doofenshmirtz exclaimed. "I've always wanted a biggest fan to acknowledge my greatness from afar. And if this is from my biggest fan, then it must be real, right? Ah, who cares? I have a biggest fan, that's all that matters."

Without further ado, he edged toward the bubble from his box. A quick swing of his arm and he threw the vial into the bubble.

Dragon looked down to see his acorn necklace glowing purple, beeping with quick pace.

"Wait, this is like what happened with the tree!" He realized.

The vial smashed through the barrier into the bubble. It exploded with a fury, causing all the Dream Eaters to explode, the tents flying off the ground and into the sky. Even Doofenshmirtz's box crumpled from the explosion, leading to the bandit getting trapped inside the rubble.

Dragon, Albus, and Jecht covered their eyes from the intense light. Without realising it, the bubble was transforming into a completely new challenge all together.

Abyss of the Otherworld

The light finally died down.

The three players unshield their eyes.

Still inside the magical, breathable water but not in the bubble. Not even in the same world.

At the bottom of this new ocean, the earth's core was beating its mighty lava, stars were shining in the sky like candlelights. Random ruins from various world's popped out from the watery soil.

Dragon wondered if it was possible to swim to the surface. The idea faded quickly. Like the forest, the dream environment would make sure he would always be swimming to the top without end.

A crackle shook the still waters.

The three players turned to see the new challenge in front of them.

A giant, crimson shelled, dark green skinned shrimp came into view. The monster had a nightmare symbol plainly on its forehead. Three giant circles on its back using electricity to power themselves up like canons.

Dragon gulped as the nightmare darted forward in his direction. The water gave the beast speed that could rival a bull.

Dragon moved out of the way in time, but not enough for his arm got hit by the shell. He grabbed it in pain.

Albus took out a potion for Dragon.

The young samurai felt the pain being silenced in his arm. He gave a swift nod to his comrade.

The shrimp's electric circles began to power up. Like a chain, the energy in the circles surged through a makeshift tunnel, creating a highly powerful blast.

Jecht made haste and tackled Dragon and Albus into the deep. They had missed the attack, but were no closer to beating the monster.

Jecht examined the beast. He had no idea what got them into this mess, but he would be cursed if he was killed by a shrimp.

He looked closer at the circles. He could have sworn he saw a second light inside a circle, one in each of the flash circles.

He paused to think back to the attack. When the shrimp shot it, the circles had taken the time to enlarge themselves to reach the flesh allowing the attack to be charged.

That was it! The light circles. In order to beat the creature they had to destroy the three recharge circles.

But how? The two punks didn't have their weapons on them and judging from their actions they didn't know a thing about magic either.

From the corner of his eye, Jecht could make out the ball the three had played with. It must have been transported with them.

Was that the answer?

Jecht growled, bubbles bursting from his mouth as he banged his chest

He motioned the two to look at the ball then at the monster's weakness. The boys got it, confused why Jecht would help them but they supposed he was as much in the ditch as they were.

The three swam as fast as they could. The nightmare tried to tackle and eat the three. It wasn't easy, but the three players were able to dodge the monster's assaults.

The ball was in Dragon's grip. The three nodded as they reached higher altitude, reaching the monster's eye view.

Dragon fisted the ball with a surge of might into the first circle, breaking the recharge. The flesh circle was fried, and the monster screamed with agony.

Albus caught the ball. With strong coordination he had gained from his archery, he swam directly in front of the circle and headbutted the ball straight into the middle of it.

Jecht finally got the ball. He swam higher behind the monster. Slowly, he circled into his position. After a few seconds, he had built up the momentum and was spinning like a hurricane.

He stopped like a rock and kicked the ball like his leg was Thor's hammer. The power, the strength, the rush.

Dragon could have sworn he felt the water quiver from the shock.

The ball smashed the last circle then right through the Nightmare's hard-shell, right through its flesh and out of it. It was as if Jecht was a human shotgun.

The monster screamed in pain as electricity was coating the foul creature.

Light embodied the creature whole as light once again engulfed the three players.

Bandit Camp

As the light died down, the three players could feel their feet make contact with the ground. It was strange to feel gravity take its hold of them once again compared to the flowing motion they had felt mere seconds before.

The camp (well, if you could call it that now) was nothing more than a pile of ruins. Tents had been burnt down and broke, any treasures that were stored had been stolen, and there was not a Dream Eater in sight.

Dragon sighed with relief. He wasn't happy with the destruction before him nor would he ever condone such a sight. Though in his heart he could not help but feel he and Albus had checked one problem off from their list.

Jecht examined the destruction before his eyes. He ruffled his shaggy hair with a chuckle. "Well, I guess this dump turned into, well, a dump."

"What are you going to do?" Albus asked him.

"Word of advice, kid; never waste your time in a deadend hack like this place. Your heart will stop beating before you even know the dumb thing did," Jecht berated casually.

"I'm not done!"

The three turned to the rubble of Doofenshmirtz's box to see the man himself come out of it. He looked terrible. Clothes torn, face dirty, and his hair had burned off. Even some teeth were missing from the lunatic.

"I will get my revenge against you two." He pointed at Dragon and Albus angrily. "I don't know how, I don't know when, but I will reek a terrible vengeance throughout your lives. You will need one eye open when you sleep, check if your food is not poisoned, see if your loved ones aren't booby trapped..." He trailed off as a very ticked off Jecht approached him.

Jecht seriously had enough of dealing with this idiot. Jecht crossed his arms and said one. Simple word. "Mommy."

Doofenshmirtz's threats came to a full stop. It wasn't long before tears swelled up in his eye, causing him to break down like a little school boy. With the amount of water coming out of him, he could have built his own water park.

Jecht just laughed at the idiot's expense. "Well, I just got you two off the hook."

"Why?" asked Dragon crossly. "When we were captured, you were acting like such a sadist."

"That's who I am, kid," Jecht answered honestly. "Problem with you is that you're too stuck up to accept jerks like me exist."

"Trust me, Jecht. If I wanted to tolerate a guy like you, I would have hang out around a certain blond in Twilight Town."

Jecht scoffed. "Stop with the honorable, secluded from the world act. Dude, I get it. You're shy and you got high standards for yourself. That act would have only worked four years ago but now the whole humble good guy look just gets on people's nerves and makes you look more like a conservative tool than a kid who wants to grow.

"Problem is, kid, you're not willing to get angry. I get that you're worried that one outburst will get you dumped by your new buddies. Get angry when you need to be to show some backbone, but overdo it like you did with the kid then you'll just be a weirdo that guys and gals will want to keep away from you. It's not a crime to get peeved. Just control it when you need to."

Dragon looked down, not out of pity but to look at Albus. Dragon couldn't remembered the last time he gotten so peeved like he did with Albus.

The last guy to do that to him was, well, Seifer. The clashes he and him had as kids were the most aggravating moments of his life. He was a kid and he did have the odd moment where he would scream and shout, but he could never properly put it into words how he felt.

Sometimes the mental processing would go frizzy which would lead him to say something out of line that would make easily the bad guy.

It just reminded him of how socially awkward he was.

"And you runt." Jecht pointed to Albus who gulped.

"You got a sense of humor. Problem is you got no clue how to be funny. Yeah, we all did the tree joke, but after a while it just gets boring. That ain't funny, kid. That's just a friend repellent. No wonder the shy nerd lost it."

Albus twitched his fingers. "You're right."

Dragon raised an eyebrow at his young companion.

"I get my jokes are at my friends' expense and I get that I can over do it. Problem is, I'm lonely. Dragon is the first real friend I ever had. He actually is the first closet thing I had to a friend I ever had."

Albus twiddled his fingers. "I guess the reason I made those stupid jokes about him and Kyra was because people want to be friends with the positive guy. I guess I overdid it with the jokes. I was worried about losing my friend I went a little overboard to keep him."

"But..." Jecht added.

Albus breathed in. "It's not right to see my friends as my property. Dragon didn't need to be teased so much, especially when he was worried for his friend and I didn't make matters any better for him. I guess I was being a insecure twit when I really should have been more gentle and say what Dragon needed to hear to feel calmer, not more agitated. "

"I'm sorry."

Albus heard Dragon say his apology, the whisper soft as if he was a ghost.

"I'm the older one, I should have been more gentle to you. Shouldn't have lost it like that or say those things to you. It wasn't right and it was stupid. I let my worrying get to me and I took it out on you."

"No." Albus walked up to Dragon and stood in front of him. "I didn't understand how worried you were. I should have been more thoughtful or at least think about the situation more."

"No, I'm sorry," Dragon answered back.

"No, I am."

"I am"

"I am times ten." Albus quipped.

"Okay, enough!" Jecht growled. "Tch, I am tired of you losers."

He whistled through his fingers and in a puff of smoke, a rhino-like spirit dream eater appeared before them with sky blue and yellow colours. Steel Slayer and Albus's bow and arrow were attached to it sides.

"Drill Sye will take you two where you want to go." Jecht smiled as he patted his Dream Eater on the back.

"How do you know where we want to go?" Questioned Albus.

"Drayage, right? That's an island. Where there is an island that means water. So in order to find water, you need to get to the beach. To get to the beach, you need a dream eater to take you there because you have no chance of finding it yourself."

Dragon and Albus put two and two together and nodded. In a strange way it made too much sense and going back on the yorkshire roads would just put them back into a never ending circle. Might as well take the chance.

Dragon helped Albus onto Drill Sye, but before he went on himself he turned to Jecht.

"Why are you helping us?"

Jecht shrugged. "Eh, I don't know. I guess I felt bad for you dummies. That, and the boss screwed me over."

"How did you know we wanted to go to Drayage?" He surmised.

"Well, I guess I have a soft spot for sleeping beauties who are being devoured by Nightmares."

Dragon's eyes widened. "You? You know? How?"

"When you and the kid came something in me just jump started. I don't know how, but I just knew what I was and what this world really was and what's causing it to exist." Jecht explained.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be a cry baby, kid," Jecht shot down. "I'm still me whatever happens."

"You do know what will happen to you when Kyra wakes up?" Dragon had to ask, he wish he didn't have to but he felt like he owed this teen some kind of thank you even if it was a cruel one.

"Yeah, I do," Jecht answered back as if it was the most normal question you could ask another person.

"And you are fine with that?"

"Kid, we're all fleeting dreams. I am a dream, so what? Doesn't mean I have to be sad about it. Got way, way better things to do than to be a crybaby about it."

He grabbed Dragon and forced him on the Dream Eater. "Get going. You're wasting time." Once Dragon was mounted on the spirit, Jecht slapped its hindquarters for it to go.

Dragon didn't have a moment to answer back to Jecht as the spirit took off, leaving the Blitzball player behind until the samurai couldn't see him anymore.

Dragon turned his attention to Albus, who sat up in the front. "So, we good?" Dragon asked.

Albus smiled. "Of course we're good." He offered Dragon a fistbump.

Dragon smiled as he returned it.

The happiness was short lived as he saw his acorn necklace glowing purple. "Wait, this happened before."

A shadow of a bird sweeped over them.

"ALBUS, WE'RE IN DANGER!"

It was too late. From the ground, thorns jumped out and trapped the three inside. Their spirit panicked but Albus was able to calm the rhino down.

A raven flew out of nowhere and landed on one of the cage's branches.

"YOU!" Dragon accused, pointing. "You're the bird who ambushed me."

The raven just chuckled evilly at the samurai's expense.

Dragon looked at the raven's appearance more closely than he did the first time. It reminded him of some things Kyra told him about her past, more specifically about a certain evil witch.

"You're her pet, aren't you? Maleficent's pet, Diablo?!" Dragon accused.

The raven just nodded cheekily.

"She did this, didn't she? She was the one who put Kyra into this mess. Let her go! She doesn't deserve this, you monster."

Diablo eyed the three closely than he had done before. His horrible smile sent chills down the three as if he was planning to peck their souls. Just seeing his strange eyes up close was horrifying enough.

"Now, why on earth would I do that?" Diablo asked.

To Be continued


End file.
